VIENNA, Austria – Austria appears to be heading for early elections after four members of the country’s coalition government quit in a row with their former party leader, Joerg Haider.
Haider told Austrian broadcaster ORF the centre-right coalition of his Freedom Party and the conservative People’s Party could not avoid early elections following the walkouts.
Vice Chancellor Susanne Riess-Passer has quit as Freedom Party chairwoman and Finance Minister Karl-Heinz Grasser resigned on Sunday after Haider led a revolt of party rank-and-file over government plans to postpone tax cuts.
The Freedom Party transport minister, Mathias Reichhold and the party’s parliamentary speaker Peter Westenthaler have also resigned.
Austrian papers say elections which had been set for October 2003 could now be held as early as November 17.
The four sided with the coalition senior partner, the People’s Party, in wanting to freeze tax cuts to pay for reconstruction needed after floods devastated the country last month.
Haider – who holds no national position but remains influential within the Freedom Party – wants the party to insist on the cuts which were a key plank of their successful election manifesto.
In an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF on Monday, the former Freedom Party chairman said he had not wanted early elections but was now “compelled by duty to his voters.”
Haider, who has previously praised Adolf Hitler’s employment policies and the SS, resigned from the national leadership after guiding the far-right party to a place in government.
Since stepping off the national stage he has criticized his successors and their resignations could now lead to early elections.
Riess-Passer said she and her two colleagues could no longer perform their duties without the support of the party and that the party will meet on October 20 to elect a new leadership.
The party’s coalition with Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel’s People’s Party is due to end on September 19.
Schuessel said he regretted the resignations, but refused to comment further.
However, party general secretary Maria Rauch-Kallat, said a decision on new elections would be made soon.
The resignations came after about 400 Freedom Party members loyal to Haider met to discuss party policy, and said they were willing to find a compromise with the party members in the government.